


Little Do You Know

by darkpanda22



Series: Give Me Your Hand, Save Me [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Attempted Kidnapping, But like not really bad, Date Rape Drug/Roofies, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, I Don't Even Know, Joel meets the family, M/M, Meet the Family, Mutual Pining, i can't bring myself to even type those kinds of words, mature because of reasons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-22 09:29:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7429965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkpanda22/pseuds/darkpanda22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part two of my Tumblr Prompt story! I just use songs/song lyrics as titles now...I'm not that creative XD I changed the second prompt from a week to four days and this fic is still long...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Felt Good On My Lips

**Author's Note:**

> “I walked in on your ex yelling at you so you grabbed me and kissed me so he’d go away and I’m kind of freaking out I literally just met you last week” AU
> 
> Character a asks “hey, will you pretend to be my date for a week for [convoluted excuse that could easily be solved without a fake relationship]?” Character b, fully convinced of the futility of their DEEP AND UNREQUITED LOVE, figures this’ll be a chance to spend time with them and possibly put their feelings to rest. Character b is always wrong & it is always amazing.

 

 

~-~

 

 

Joel was happy he’d made friends with Ray. The guy was so nice that Joel just couldn’t understand who would break up with such a pure soul. Ray started asking Joel to hang out more and after a couple of nights of ice cream and movies, they moved up to playing video games together. At first, Joel would get destroyed by Ray but he never could find it in himself to be mad at Ray. He was just too nice and, well, cute if you asked Joel. They spent the rest of the week hanging out and talking, getting to know each other and having fun together. Ray was still bummed out about his ex but Joel always seemed to make him forget everything bad in the world and make him smile. Ray was still so thankful for Joel being there.

 

 

It took all of a week for Ray’s ex to come crawling back. He knocked on the door while Joel had went back to his apartment for a shower. Ray had expected anyone but him and frowned at his ex. “What do you want?” He asked, jaw tight and words even tighter.

 

 

His ex frowned back at him. “Ray- Ray I’m so sorry for what I did..she seduced me and I realize now that I can’t live without you.”

 

 

Ray’s frown deepened. “You have some nerve coming to me with this bullsh*t. What happened to ‘I love her’? Huh?”

 

 

His ex frowned deeper, burying himself into a bigger hole. “Like I said, she seduced me and- and I have no idea what came over me. Please, Ray..You gotta believe me. I love you!”

 

 

Ray just shook his head “What did she do? Cheat on you? Or did you just get bored of her too? Get the f*ck out of my face, you dick! I hate you and I never want to talk to you again!”

 

 

The ex was flabbergasted and opened his mouth to speak but before he could, a familiar voice came from his right. “Is there a problem here?” Ray visibly relaxed and smiled as Joel put a protective arm around him. Ray snuggled up right into his side, hoping this would get his stupid ex to leave.

 

 

His ex went from shocked to angry and he frowned, ignoring Joel completely. “Ray, why won’t you give me another chance?!? Can’t you see that I love you so much?!?!”

 

 

Ray frowned, he just wanted him to leave but it seems he’d have to go to drastic measures. He didn’t want to do this because they’d only just met but he looked up at Joel and grabbed his face, gently pulling him into a kiss. But before Joel could act, the ex gave a frustrated yell as he ran from the building. Ray watched him go with a smile before he turned back to Joel to assess the damage. Joel was still staring into space, wide eyed with his head still bent down exactly how he was when Ray had pulled him into the kiss. “Joel? Hey.” Ray lightly hit his cheeks and that seemed to bring focus back to Joel’s eyes as they landed right on Ray’s. “Sorry about that…I uh- just wanted him to leave..” Ray explained sheepishly as he looked away from Joel’s piercing stare.

 

 

Joel was silent for a moment before he said “Okay.”

 

 

And Ray looked back at him in surprise, part of him feeling kinda disappointed that, that was all Joel had to say, but, a larger part of him felt relieved he hadn’t messed up his friendship before it had even formed. And Ray smiled widely at him “You’re so great Joel!” And pulled him back into his apartment to play more video games.

 

 

Unknown to Ray, all Joel could think about was Ray’s lips on his for the rest of the day. Every time he looked at him he’d go back to those tiny hands holding his face so gently and those soft lips on his and he’d groan internally because he shouldn’t be thinking like this. The kiss shouldn’t have affected him so much. But it did, and now Joel wanted to kiss Ray again and again and again. That was how it went on for a while, Ray and Joel would hang out and Joel would have to push away those thoughts of kissing Ray. Joel had tried so hard to get over whatever this was that he had for Ray but it only got worse as the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months. Suddenly he didn’t just want to kiss Ray, he wanted to hold Ray like he did the day they met. He wanted to wake up to Ray curled up into his side, sleeping peacefully on his chest. He wanted to **be** with Ray. It was a thought that he’d come to terms with a couple of days ago. He resigned to feeling how he did and that Ray didn’t like him like that. They were friends. That’s all they would ever be. And his heart ached worse that it did when Ray’s body shook with sobs through the wall.

 

 

~-~

 

 

Two months after Ray’s ex left for good, Ray had knocked on Joel’s apartment door, something he rarely did, and Joel let him in with a concerned frown. “What’s wrong? You normally talk to me through the walls if you need anything.”

 

 

Ray sighed and flopped down on Joel’s couch. Joel took a seat next to him and waited for him to start talking. “Well- My parents called and they’re gonna have a get together for the family back in New York and they- they don’t know that I’m gay but I felt it’s time I told them and I knew that maybe if you pretendedtobemyboyfriendthey’dlikeyouandeverythingwouldbefine!“

 

 

Joel blinked at Ray and stared at him. “Let me get this right…You want me to pretend to be your boyfriend so you parents will accept you being gay better because you think they’ll like me?”

 

 

Ray frowned, hearing it out loud made it sound stupid but he’d already told his mother that he was bringing a date. “…Yes.”

 

 

Joel was silent for a moment, thinking over to pro and cons of this situation. On one hand, he’d be ‘together’ with Ray and he’d get to kiss him maybe? He would get to hug him and hold him, wake up in the same bed…but on the other hand, it would only be for their trip to New York. “How many days will it take?”

 

 

“Uh- The get together in on Saturday but we’ll get there on Friday and stay until Monday.”

 

 

Joel sighed. 4 days huh? “Alright, I’ll do it.”

 

 

Ray’s head snapped up so fast Joel was almost afraid he’d get whiplash. “W-what? Really? Are you sure??”

 

 

Joel couldn’t help but smiled at him, he was so cute. “Yeah, I’m sure. I guess we’ll have to start packing huh?” Ray smiled so wide, jumped up and wrapped his arms around Joel in the best hug he’d ever received. That reaction made it so much more worth it.

 

 

After packing their bags, Joel and Ray both went straight to sleep for their flight early the next morning. It would take almost 5 hours to get there so leaving in the morning would get them in New York before dinner time. Joel had forgotten about the meeting the parents part and now he was dreading having to meet them but, he was doing this to help Ray. It seemed like everything he did now was to help Ray and Joel didn’t mind that one bit. Joel made sure to wake up earlier to make coffee and breakfast for the two of them. After breakfast was done, he shouted through the wall for Ray to come over and eat when he was done as he started back into his room to take a shower. After his quick shower, he pulled on some nice jeans and grabbed a nice shirt as he walked back out into the kitchen.

 

 

Ray was sitting on top of the counter swinging his legs, eating his breakfast and drinking his coffee when Joel walked in without a shirt on. Ray almost choked on his eggs because when did Joel get that good looking???? Joel pushed his still wet hair out of his face and Ray couldn’t believe this was happening. Joel put the shirt on his couch as he grabbed a blow dryer and plugged it into the wall. “Sorry about this, there’s no socket in the bathroom.”

 

 

Ray just nodded dumbly, trying not to stare at the water rolling down Joel’s chest from his hair, like what the actual f*ck was happening right now. “I-it’s alright.”

 

 

Joel smiled at him and turned on the blow dryer, drying his hair with his eyes closed and looking every bit like a male model. Ray started stuffing food into his mouth to keep from saying something stupid and weird. It almost seemed like an eternity had passed when Joel’s hair was finally dry and he pulled on the nice brownish grey button up shirt. Every button that closed only served to frustrate Ray even more because why didn’t he feel relieved?? He felt more and more disappointed and it was weird to feel this way for Joel, of all people. But then he remembered what exactly they’d have to do once they touched down in New York and he felt warm inside. ‘What the f*ck, me? Calm the hell down.’

 

 

Joel ate his breakfast quickly before downing his lukewarm coffee in a few quick gulps. (Ray tried not to stare at his Adam’s apple bobbing but it was a task more difficult than he thought.) After a quick glance at the clock, Joel turned to him with a small smile. “Time to go.”

 

 

Ray returned his smile and nodded, pushing away his thoughts of what had happened and slid off the counter. They grabbed their luggage and left for the airport in a taxi. They arrived a little early as traffic was almost non-existent that early in the morning. So, to pass the time, Ray pulled out his DS and leaned on Joel as he played Pokémon. Joel watched him play with his head rested on top of Ray’s. They were always this close, and Joel felt a smile stretch across his face as he thought about what was to come. Yeah, it would hurt to go back to like nothing but friendship was between them but maybe this could help him get over his crush on Ray.

 

 

Finally, their flight was called and they made their way to the gate, their luggage boarded the plane as they boarded with their carry-ons. Joel let Ray take the window seat and sat in the seat by the aisle. People filtered in fast and got to their seats even faster. Then suddenly they were in the air, and Ray was watching the ground shrink. After they’d gotten high in the air, Ray was finally able to pull out his DS and leaned his head on Joel’s shoulder as he continued playing Pokémon. Joel smiled and pulled out his phone and plugged in his head phones to listen to an audio book he’d started the other day. They were both in their own little world for a long time until Ray felt his eye lids start to droop. He saved his game and fell asleep with his head still on Joel’s shoulder shortly after. Joel smiled at him as he lifted up the bar in between them and pulled Ray closer, wrapping his arm around him to make it more comfortable for both the of the them. Joel paused his book and turned on some music, just in case he fell asleep and accidentally missed most of the book. After two songs, Joel’s eyes flutter close and his head gently slid down to rest on top of Ray’s as he fell asleep as well.

 

 

~-~


	2. Nice To Meet You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joel and Ray finally touch down in New York and Joel meets the family at the airport! Stuff gets real in the next chapter so look forward to that~!

 

 

~-~

 

 

Hours later, both Joel and Ray were woken up by the announcement that the plane would be landing soon. When Ray sat up, he immediately wanted to fall back into Joel’s arms and the thought made him frown. ‘Like seriously, what the hell is wrong with me?’ Yawning, Joel tried to stretch but he was too tall to be able to stretch comfortably on the small airplane. He ended up pouting quietly in his seat with his arms crossed, making Ray laugh quietly. Then finally, they touched down in New York and Joel grabbed a hold of Ray’s hand to make sure he’d wasn’t swept away with the crowd, or that's what he told himself at least. Ray had blinked down at their intertwined hands as they walked and tried to fight the smile that wanted to spread across his face but ultimately failed when he looked up at Joel again.

 

 

They grabbed their luggage after that and went off in search for a sign with Ray’s name on it. Joel spotted it over the masses of people and started heading that way, feeling more and more nervous the closer he got to what was probably Ray’s parents. Ray finally broke through the crowd and his parents and little sister smiled wide at him. He let go of Joel’s hand to pull them all into a hug one by one before he stepped back beside Joel and intertwined their fingers again. “Everyone, this is my b-boyfriend Joel.”

 

 

Their eyes widened as Joel scratched the back of his neck nervously. “It’s very nice to meet you all.”

 

 

After Joel spoke, it seemed to pull them out their shock and Ray’s Dad stepped forward to shake his hand with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you too, Joel.”

 

 

And Ray’s Mom smiled as well “Yes, very nice!”

 

 

Ray’s sister smiled wide at him as she ran forward and hugged Joel and just like that, most the weight was lifted off of both of their shoulders. Ray smiled back at them before he smiled up at Joel, who returned it earnestly.

 

 

~-~

 

 

After greetings, they all piled into Ray’s parent’s car with Ray sitting in the middle but mostly leaning on Joel with a smile while his little sister talked to them. Things were going much better than both of them thought it would. Even Ray’s little sister was talking with Joel excitedly and his parents were getting to know him while catching up with Ray. They took them back to Ray’s childhood home where they would be staying in Ray’s old room. Joel was kind of excited to see another part of Ray, even though they weren’t really dating. They let Ray and Joel get settled in, telling them dinner would be ready in about an hour in a half. That left plenty of time for Ray and Joel to put their clothes away and just sit together for a while.

 

 

After he looked around the room a bit, Joel sighed as he stretched out on Ray’s bed and shortly after, Ray grabbed his DS and followed, laying his head on Joel’s chest as he played more Pokémon. Joel didn’t even think about the fact that no one was around so they didn’t have to pretend but Ray was still laying on him and he still had his arms wrapped around him like it was normal. “I’m glad they like you.” Ray didn’t look up from his game at first but then he smiled as he glanced up at Joel.

 

 

“Yeah, me too.” Joel answered with a smile of his own. It was a good feeling to know he was already accepted by Ray’s parents and sister if they actually did get together but Joel pushed that thought away. This was all pretend and they’d go back to neighbors and friends once they got back to Texas on Monday.

 

 

They were called for dinner soon after that, and Joel grabbed Ray’s hand and pulled him away from his DS and down to the dinner table. Joel was going to let go of Ray’s hand after they sat down but Ray had other plans and Joel didn’t mind one bit. They held hands under the table throughout dinner, sending little smiles and looks at each other as well until Ray’s mom asked the dreadful question, “So, how did you two meet?”

 

 

They hadn’t thought about what they were gonna say to that question and Ray looked like his brain was frying so Joel spoke up. “Well, I meet Ray a few months after he moved into the same apartment complex as me. I just liked him more the more we got to know each other and it was the same for Ray, so here we are today.” Joel squeezed Ray’s hand under the table and sent him a genuinely loving smile.

 

 

Ray returned it with one of his own and nodded. “Yeah, Joel was so helpful and sweet when I first moved in, that I wanted to get to know him more and he just got better as the days went by.”

 

 

Both of them were feeling kind of sad that the other was only acting, but Ray’s parents and his sister smiled at the two of them as his mom gave a slight squeal. “Aww! You two are just so cute together!”

 

 

Ray blushed darkly and smiled shyly at Joel, who smirked back at him with a light blush himself, before Ray smiled at his mom. “T-thanks mom!”

 

 

Dinner continued on without a hitch and everyone was chatting happily after hearing the couple’s meeting story, all except the ‘couple’ themselves. Nobody seemed to noticed the sad looks they’d give the each other when they knew the other wasn’t looking. They knew this wasn't real, and that thought made them both sad. Ray didn't want to think about why he was feeling this way. He couldn't if these feelings meant what he thought they meant. Because Joel wasn't gay and even if he was, why would he like somebody like Ray? Ray looked down at his dessert dejectedly, wanting to sigh out in frustration. These thoughts were just making him feel worse so he sat up and tried to forget about it, if only for a moment. 

 

 

After dinner, the two went back to Ray’s room to get ready for bed. They would have to get up early in the morning to eat breakfast and still get to the venue on time so they had to go straight to sleep. Joel pulled out some pajama bottoms and a t-shirt and on the other side of the room, Ray was doing the same. When they had their pajamas in hand they turned to look at each other with matching blushes. “H-how are we gonna do this?” Ray stuttered a bit as he looked anywhere but at Joel.

 

 

“I uh- I don’t know..” Joel scratched the back of his head before he said “Um- don’t you have a bathroom in here?”

 

 

Ray slapped his forehead for not thinking of that. “Y-yeah. Yeah, I do. I’ll use the bathroom and you can change in here.”

 

 

“Okay.”

 

 

Ray walked into to the bathroom and closed the door. He changed his clothes quickly, wanting to get to bed already but when he opened the door he almost choked. Joel was standing with his back to the bathroom about to pull his shirt over his head. Ray's eyes widened as he watched the muscles in Joel’s back flex and work as he pulled the shirt over his head. But even after the shirt was on, it didn't help that it was tight, showing off the muscles in Joel's arms easily. 'Holy f*ck, Joel is going to kill me..' Ray quietly closed the door before he took a deep breathe and shook his head, willing away the blush that had settled on his cheeks. After another few minutes, he opened the door again, much louder than the first time so Joel knew he was coming out of the bathroom. Ray pretended he wasn’t just staring at Joel’s back and arms by faking a yawn and stretching. “Alright, Joel. Goodnight.” Ray hurriedly got into the full sized bed and faced the left.

 

 

“Goodnight, Ray.” Joel slid into the bed after him and faced the right. Within seconds both of them were out like a light.

 

 

~-~


	3. Rise and Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the start of their second day in New York! That title sucks I'm sorry I'm not that creative. >.

 

 

~-~

 

 

The next morning, Ray woke to warmth surrounding him and the smell of bacon and pancakes floating through the house. Ray didn’t want to move because he felt so comfortable and snuggled deeper into the source of the warmth. But then, the warmth moved and Ray froze, cracking his eyes open to see what he was laying on. He started to panic when he realized that they had somehow ended up with their feet tangled together with Ray’s face pressed into Joel’s chest and Joel’s arms wrapped around him. Ray looked up in his panic and relaxed when he saw that Joel hadn’t woken up yet. After a second of staring at Joel's peaceful face, Ray decided a little cuddling would be okay as long as Joel was asleep and snuggled closer to Joel so that his head was under Joel’s chin. Joel pulled him closer in his sleep and Ray started fading in and out of sleep at how comfortable, warm and safe he felt in Joel’s arms. It was new to Ray because he never felt this way with his ex, and they’d been dating for 3 years. Ray didn’t understand exactly why he was feeling like this but all he knew was that he never wanted let Joel go. Just as he drifted back to sleep, he was woken up again by his mom shaking both of them. Joel instinctively pulled Ray even closer as he woke up, making Ray’s mother smile.

 

 

“Breakfast’s ready, you two~! We’ll be leaving in an hour for the venue.”

 

 

Ray yawned, not registering their position yet in his sleepy haze. “Alright, mom.”

 

 

She gave them both one more smile before she finally left. Only after Joel unwrapped his arms from him did Ray remember their position and blushed. Both of them couldn't look at each other because they both wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed with the other but this was fake, they had to remind themselves. After a moment of silence, Joel finally looked up “You can shower first, Ray.”

 

 

Ray looked up at Joel and tried to smile as he nodded at him. He hoped Joel didn’t see how weak his smile felt as he grabbed his clothes and rushed into the bathroom. Once the door was closed, Ray sighed softly. He knew what was happening but he didn’t want to believe it. How had he fallen for Joel so quickly? Or maybe he already had and just didn’t know it until now? They had woken up in such an intimate position but that didn’t mean that Joel liked him. Maybe Joel just like to cuddle in his sleep? This relationship was fake so that his family would take the news of him being gay better. That’s all this was. Acting. That thought shouldn’t have made Ray’s heart drop into his stomach but it did and he quickly got into the shower so the water could mask the tears rolling down his face.

 

 

Back in Ray’s bedroom, Joel waited until he heard the shower start before he let out a sigh. How had they even ended up in that position? Joel loved it more than he should’ve and that was the problem here. He shouldn’t get invested in this fake relationship when Ray obviously felt uncomfortable when they’d ended up like that. He ran into the bathroom so fast and Joel just knew it was because of him. He raked his hands through his hair as he sat on the end of the bed. He was so lost in his thoughts of what would happen when they got back to Texas that he didn’t know tears were rolling down his face until one hit his knee. He sighed again and wiped his face just as the water cut off in the bathroom. There was no noise other than the muffled shuffling of Ray getting dressed and Joel getting his clothes ready for his shower. Ray came out of the bathroom moments later and Joel felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Ray was wearing a white button up shirt that was rolled up to his elbows, black dress pants, a black vest and a bright red bow tie. Joel had never seen Ray in anything other than shorts, graphic tees and hoodies so seeing him dressed up like this was both weird and amazing.

 

 

Ray blushed and looked away from Joel’s stare as he said “Y-you can shower now, J-joel..” He fidgeted under Joel’s intense gaze before Joel finally grabbed his clothes and went to take a shower. After the door clicked close, Ray relaxed and his blush brightened. Joel had stopped everything he was doing to stare at Ray when he walked out of the bathroom and no one else was around. ‘Did that mean that-? No, no he couldn’t possibly like me like that. He probably just stared because this is his first time seeing me wear something different than normal. Right…?’ Ray shook the thoughts from his head and started to make the bed and clean up the room. After a while the water turned off and Ray heard the hair dryer turn on. He blushed as he remembered what happened in Joel’s apartment the day before. He frowned and raked a hand through his hair before walking over to the mirror to finally brush it. Just as Ray finished his hair, Joel came out of the bathroom with his black button up shirt wide opened. Ray couldn't stop the weird choking sound that came out if he wanted too and Joel turned to look at him just as Ray whipped his head back to the mirror, pretending that he hadn't just looked at Joel's chest...again. Joel raised a brow at the weird behavior but shrugged it off as he walked over to the bed and sat down. He pulled out his dress shoes and slipped them on, fanning himself with his hand or his shirt every once in a while. The shower and the hair dryer had left him feeling hot and he didn’t want to button up his shirt because of it. Ray was having a hard time not looking at Joel through the mirror but when he did decide one look wouldn’t hurt, he found that Joel was already looking at him and they locked eyes for a moment. Ray blushed again and looked away first, missing the confused look Joel gave him. Ray cleared his throat “Uh- well, I’m gonna go get breakfast now.” And left the bedroom before Joel could respond.

 

 

Joel watched him go with a frown, wondering what was wrong with Ray. He sighed, having a feeling he’d made Ray uncomfortable again, somehow and his frown deepened. He buttoned up his shirt and tucked it in before he pulled on a red tie to match Ray's bow tie and went out to the kitchen. When he entered, Ray was standing at the little bar area where you could see through to the dining room where everyone else was. ‘Well, here goes nothing.’ Joel thought as he came up behind Ray and rested his hands on either side of him, trapping him there as he leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Morning, babe.”

 

 

Ray jumped a bit when he felt Joel kiss him before he spun around and hit him playfully in the chest. ‘Just acting.’ Ray had to remind himself as he saw so many emotions swimming in Joel’s eyes. “Joel! Don’t scare me like that, baby.”

 

 

Joel smiled down at him and kissed his forehead. “Sorry, honey.” Joel finally looked up and saw Ray’s parents grinning at them and Ray’s little sister looking like she was about to explode in excitement. She already really liked Joel and was the happiest about their ‘relationship’.

 

 

“It’s okay. Let’s eat, we were waiting for you.” Ray smiled and grabbed his hands as Joel stepped back at let Ray pull him to the table.

 

 

~-~


	4. It's Going Down, I'm Yelling Timber

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is really late, I was supposed to post this weeks ago but I've been a little busy. But yeah, Ray and Joel are finally going to meet the extended family and stuff happens. This chapter is a little longer as an apology for making you guys wait so enjoy~!

 

 

~-~

 

 

After a quick breakfast, they made their way to the venue. Ray was getting more and more nervous, the closer they got there because yeah his close family had taken the news well but this was his extended family. Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and other relatives all in one place and ready to judge Ray. He’d always know just how bad he was when it came to taking rejection from his family because these were the people he loved the most and they had all the power to crush Ray’s heart in a snap of their fingers. That’s why he leaned more into Joel to keep from thinking about things going wrong. Once again, he’s reminded that Joel had always been there for him. In his mind he goes back to the day they met and smiles to himself because no matter what happens in there he’ll have Joel, even if they can't have this closeness anymore and even if they have to go back to being just friends, he’d do it if that meant that Joel was still there for him. His smile turned sad at that thought and before Ray knew it they were pulling into the parking lot. Ray took a deep breath as he stood in front of the doors. Ray’s parents both pulled him into a hug, knowing it must be hard for him, and his sister clung to his leg until he smiled down at her and ruffled her long brown hair. Then finally, Joel stood next to him and intertwined their fingers and squeezed them reassuringly as he gave Ray a kiss on the forehead. Ray took another breath. He would be okay because he had these amazing people behind him for support. And with that thought he nodded and they walked into the venue. Ray’s parents went first followed by Ray’s sister and then him and Joel.

 

 

~-~

 

 

All the worrying Ray did, seemed to melt away the more family he talked to. They all congratulated him and got to know Joel a little before they would move on to the next family member. Ray had the biggest smile on his face and Joel was grinning too because Ray was happy. But then, one of Ray’s Aunts and her husband pushed through the crowd and stood in front of the two. Ray smiled at them and introduced Joel as his boyfriend again but the reaction wasn’t what he’d gotten all day.

 

 

“And no one else is bothered by this?!” Ray’s smiled slipped off his face instantly. “This is an outrage!! I will not have a nephew that’s one of those horrible homos!! It's not normal and I cannot allow it!” Ray looked down, his eyes filling with tears but his head jerked up when Joel stepped in front of him, shoulders squared and a glare set in place.

 

 

“Excuse me, but you will **not** slander my boyfriend. Ray is the sweetest person I’ve ever met and I really like him, hell I can probably say I love him. We don’t choose to love who we love, we just love. So if you want to talk bad about me then go right ahead, I don’t care, but I **cannot** allow you to talk about Ray like this. If you don’t support us, like everyone else here, then you can just leave.” When Joel was done he was breathing hard and Ray’s Aunt was glaring at them.

 

 

She huffed and grabbed her husband, pulling him toward the exit with a loud “Fine!” while her husband turned and mouthed an apology to Joel. His glare lessened a bit and nodded back at him in thanks before he turned back to Ray. Ray was staring at Joel in awe, with tears running down his face. Before Joel could even ask if he was okay, Ray grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down into a passionate kiss. Ray wrapped his arms around Joel’s neck and stood on his toes while Joel’s arms wrapped around Ray’s waist. It had to be short, with where they were so Joel pulled back after a minute. Joel's smile was so dazed and genuine after the kiss that their audience had to ‘Awww!’ at how sweet and cute that moment was.

 

 

Ray was smiling up at him too before the ‘Awww!’s brought him back to reality. Ray immediately blushed when he realized he’d just kissed Joel in front of all his family and buried his face into Joel’s chest. “Now, I’m embarrassed…” He whined, making Joel chuckle as he hugged Ray a little closer. They all smiled and laughed, cheering good words and well wishes for the two a bit before going back to their conversations. Joel wiped the last tears off of Ray’s face and kissed his forehead again before they started talking to more of Ray’s family. Once they met all of Ray’s family, they took a seat at a table. As Joel rested one hand on the table and took a drink of punch with the other, Ray was playing with Joel’s fingers on the table, a soft smile on both of their faces.

 

 

~-~

 

 

A half an hour after they sat down, people started to leave as it was nearing 12 am. Ray started to complain about not wanting to walk all the way back to the car and Joel didn’t hesitate to pick him up and carrying him bridal style all the way back to the car. Ray’s mom had laughed at first when she saw the two before she turned to her husband and jokingly said, “Why don’t you pick me up like that, honey?”

 

 

Ray’s dad laughed and turned to Joel, “You’ve gotten me in trouble!”

 

 

And everyone laughed as they walked back to the car.

 

 

~-~

 

 

It didn’t hit them until they were in the safety of Ray’s room that Ray had kissed Joel and Joel had kissed back. Ray blushed as he looked away from Joel, so many thoughts running through his head. Joel was blushing as well and looked away from Ray, most of the same thoughts running through his head as well. Ray grabbed his bed clothes and rushed into the bathroom to get away from Joel and Joel took that time to change as well.

 

 

After he was done, he sat down on the bed and sighed. Why did love have to be so hard? He meant every word he’d said to Ray’s Aunt and when Ray kissed him he felt like he could go through anything if it meant he'd come back to that everyday. He felt so many emotions through that kiss and he didn't know what was real and what was fake anymore. Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair. He had no idea what Ray was thinking and that was the worst part of all of this. He didn’t even think Ray liked him as anything other than a friend but the way he kissed him…Joel sighed again and got under the covers, opting to go to sleep before Ray even came out of the bathroom so he didn’t have to talk about it yet. He was so confused and he hoped with all of his being that none of that was fake but that's all he could do right now...hope. 

 

 

Ray had stared into the mirror after his clothes were changed and sighed. He didn’t know how he let his feelings get the better of him but he couldn’t help himself. Joel standing up for him meant more than anything to Ray and he was just so moved and happy that he did the only think that he thought could convey those feelings. That kiss was nothing like the first one. The first one was just the touch of lips, but this one was passionate with both sides reciprocating the same passion. Ray felt dizzy, warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. But, Joel had kissed him back! He didn't even freeze, just immediately started kissing him back! And that was the confusing part because Joel couldn’t like Ray like that could he? He’d always thought that Joel was straight but didn’t care that Ray was gay. But, he’d willingly kissed him back and when they pulled away he looked so happy and content with everything that it made Ray swell with pride, because _he_ caused that. Ray sighed again. Why did love have to be so hard? He had a headache coming on and tomorrow would be their last day like this. That thought made Ray’s heart throb painfully in his chest. Sighing again, he finally came out of the bathroom to find Joel was already in bed and asleep. Thankful that he didn’t have to talk about what happened yet, he got into bed next to Joel and fell right asleep.

 

 

~-~


	5. You're In Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You probably saw the new tags so stuff gets really real in this final chapter! Sorry this is chapter is so late but I had an eye doctor appointment and I'm typing this with those black plastic glasses on right now. -_- But anyway, this is the longest part of the series so I hope you guys enjoyed~! The third part of the series should be up soon! (That title is bad, I know. I can't think of anything better right now.)

~-~

 

 

The next morning, Ray’s parents made breakfast for them while they packed before they drove them to the airport and saw them off with a hug, kiss on the cheek and a smile. Joel and Ray boarded their plane and their happy demeanor faded as soon as they were seated. Joel put on an audio book and Ray played Pokémon quietly. Neither of them said a word to each other, still confused about feelings and sad that their fake relationship had officially come to an end. The ride was silent with no touching until Ray fell asleep and slowly his head slid onto Joel’s shoulder. Joel had looked up at the sudden weight, feeling his heart ache as he looked at the peacefully sleeping Ray. ‘He isn’t mine.’ Was running through Joel’s head and he felt tears well up in his eye but he blinked them away. He wouldn’t cry on a flight back home and he wouldn’t cry in front of Ray, whether he was sleeping or not.

 

 

~-~

 

 

Once they got home, everything changed.

 

 

Joel and Ray got sadder and sadder as the days went by. They both tried to pretend that they weren’t affected by the end of their fake relationship but it was proving more and more difficult by the day.

 

 

But then everything came to a head when Joel heard Ray leave his apartment late, around 10 o’clock, that night. Joel went to sleep to keep from worrying about Ray but around 1 am Joel was woken up by his phone ringing. Without even looking at the caller ID he’d picked it up and answered groggily “Hello?” Joel just about jumped out of his skin when he heard the one thing he’d never wanted to hear again.

 

 

Ray was sobbing on the line, his voice slightly slurring indicating he was kind of drunk. “J-joel! He-help me p-please! He- He-“ Ray was cut off by a loud bang and Ray screamed.

 

 

“Ray! Ray, where are you right now?? What’s going on?!”

 

 

“He- He put s-something in my d-drink! I l-locked myself in the ba-bathroom at the b-bar down the str-street.”

 

 

Joel shot out of bed in an instant, pulling on some clothes and shoes. “Okay, Ray I’m coming. Just keep calm and answer my questions, alright? You’re gonna be okay. Who did this to you? And are you okay? How much of it did you drink?”

 

 

Ray sniffled, hiccuping a bit before another bang on the bathroom door made Ray sob harder. “I- I feel weird-…can’t…move…I- I’m s-sleepy Joel..”

 

 

Joel frowned, “Don’t go to sleep yet, Ray! Who did this to you? And how much of the drink did you drink?”

 

 

“My- My ex…He- He said he ju-just w-wanted to t-talk and have a dr-drink together..I- th-thought it t-tasted funny…didn’t…dr-drink it…all.”

 

 

There was another bang on the door and this time the door handle started to jiggle and Joel’s eyes widened when he heard the rattling of keys. He ran faster as Ray pleaded for him to come help him, slurred and sleepy from his roofied drink. He burst in through the double doors, finding a staff member had just went into the bathroom with Ray’s ex trailing right behind.

 

 

Joel ran toward the bathroom “Ray! Let me get to Ray!” The staff member had held Joel back and Ray's ex smirked at him over the guy’s shoulder. “This f*ck just roofied my boyfriend so let go of me and call the police! I need to get Ray to the hospital!”

 

 

The staff member didn’t know what to believe until Ray croaked out a soft “J-Joel..”

 

 

Joel immediately got free and ran to Ray’s side. “Ray! Ray I'm here. Please be okay!”

 

 

Ray cracked his eyes opened and smiled up at Joel, big tears rolling down his face as he rasped out “J-Joel…you..you c-came..”

 

 

Joel brushed Ray’s bangs out of his eyes as he pulled Ray up to lay his head on Joel’s lap. “Of course I came. You mean so much to me...I can’t lose you. We have to go to the hospital, Ray, so hold on for me okay.” Ray nodded, smiling sleepily as Joel pick him up bridal style and the staff member nodded at him and followed but locked the door before Ray’s ex could run away.

 

 

“I’ll call the police and tell them you’re on the way to the hospital, alright? I hope he’s alright.”

 

 

Joel nodded in thanks and ran outside, catching a taxi and riding to the nearest hospital. Sometime in the trip to the hospital Ray went limp in his arms and Joel started to panic. When they arrived, Joel yelled into the empty waiting room for someone to help him. A nurse came out of a room in the back and gasped when she saw the unconscious Ray in Joel’s arms. “He was roofied, please help him!” The nurse scrambled back to get a gurney for Joel to lay Ray on before he was rolled to the back by two other nurses. The first nurse asked for his relation to Ray and he repeated that he was Ray’s boyfriend because anything else wouldn’t allow him the ability to know of Ray’s condition.

 

 

 

Joel sat in the waiting room for a couple of minutes before cops showed up and asked for Joel. Joel stood up and told him about the phone call he had with Ray before he was knocked out by the drug and they stayed until Ray was awake and feeling better to question him as well. Ray didn’t remember anything after the first few sips and thinking that his drink tasted weird and the tests proved that Ray had quite a bit of Rohypnol in his system. So, Ray’s ex was officially shipped off to jail about 8 hours after Ray had called him.

 

 

Now, Joel was finally able to go back and see Ray and when he did, Ray looked at him in confusion. “Joel, what happened??” Joel sighed and sat down next to him, grabbing his hand and intertwining their fingers. Ray looked down at their hands in surprise before looking back up at Joel in confusion but Joel had his head resting on the bed. “Joel?” And the sound of Ray’s voice made Joel’s body shake as a sob ripped it’s way out of his throat. Ray squeezed Joel’s hand reassuringly as he started to rub circles in Joel’s back as he felt tears well up in his own eyes. Never once in the months he’s known Joel has he seen him cry and that just made this moment all the more heartbreaking and powerful.

 

 

It took a minute but Joel finally calmed down enough to whisper “You were roofied by your ex. He would’ve took you home and done something to you had you not called me…But I got to you before he could take you anywhere..Then when I was bringing you here and I- I thought I lost you…you went limp in my arms and so many thoughts ran through my head…”

 

 

Ray put his other hand on top of Joel’s hand still holding his hand and smiled reassuringly at him “But I’m here now and I’m okay.”

 

 

Joel looked up at Ray and smiled “Yeah…” There was a long moment of silence where Joel just stared at Ray and Ray stared down at their still intertwined hands. “Ray, I- I meant every single word I said to your Aunt.”

 

 

Ray looked up in shock, his eyes widening in realization. “Th-then that means that y-you-“

 

 

Joel smiled as he finished the sentence for Ray “I love you.”

 

 

And Ray didn’t know what to do other than grab Joel’s face and kiss him until he couldn’t breathe. So that’s what he did. And Joel didn’t mind one bit as he smiled into the kiss. And true to his thoughts, when they pulled back they were both breathing hard and smiling at each other. “I love you, too.” Ray whispered and this time Joel could do nothing but pull Ray right back into another kiss.

 

 

And this time when they pulled back, Joel wrapped his arms around Ray and hugged him close. “I’m never letting you go again, Ray.”

 

 

And Ray smiled “I’m not going anywhere, Joel.”

 

 

~-~

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to let me know how I did. Comments and Kudos are much appreciated~! :)


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